The Treaty of Warsaw ( Polish : Traktat warszawski , Swedish : Freden i Warszawa ) was concluded on 18 November ( O.S. ) / 28 November 1705 during the Great Northern War . ^[1] It was a peace treaty and an alliance between the Swedish Empire and the faction of the Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth loyal to Stanisław Leszczy?ski . ^{[1] [2]}

Historical context [ edit ]

Early in the Great Northern War , Charles XII of Sweden campaigned in the Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth , where Augustus the Strong , Elector of Saxony , was king since 1697. ^[3] Aimed at dethroning his adversary, Charles XII managed to have his candidate Stanisław Leszczy?ski elected king of Poland on 12 July 1704 . ^[3] Augustus' ally Peter the Great , tsar of Russia , was reluctant to engage Charles XII in a major battle as a consequence of the decisive defeat his army had suffered at Narva in 1700. ^[3] A faction of the Polish and Lithuanian nobles did not accept Leszczy?ski's election, ^[3] which had been imposed in neglect of the commonwealth's customs, and organized in the Sandomir or Sandomierz Confederation in support of Augustus. ^[4] They declared the election illegal, outlawed Leszczy?ski's supporters who were organized in the Warsaw Confederation , declared war on Sweden and allied with Russia in the Treaty of Narva . ^[5]

A Russo-Saxo-Polish-Lithuanian army was then assembled at Polotsk (Polatsk, Połock, Polockas), ^{[1] [5]} another allied army in Saxony , ^[6] and a third allied force commanded by General Otto Arnold von Paykull (Pajkul) advanced towards Warsaw , ^[1] where Charles XII and Leszczy?ski sojourned. ^[5] Pajkul's Saxo-Polish-Lithuanian horse reached the outskirts of Warsaw on 31 July 1705, where they were defeated . ^[7] The army at Polotsk was denied westward advance by Swedish forces under Adam Ludwig Lewenhaupt . ^[1] Thus, Leszczy?ski was crowned king of Poland in Warsaw on 4 October 1705, and Sweden and the faction of the commonwealth represented by Leszczy?ski signed the treaty of Warsaw on 28 November. ^[1]

Terms [ edit ]

Charles XII (left) and Stanisław Leszczy?ski (right)

Sweden was allowed to occupy the Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth's towns and fortresses and recruit soldiers in its territory without restriction. ^{[1] [2]} Anti-Swedish alliances concluded by the commonwealth were declared void, ^[2] Poland was to conclude treaties only with Charles XII's approval. ^[1]

The commonwealth's regions Courland , Lithuania , Royal Prussia and Ruthenia were to export goods only through the Swedish port of Riga , ^[2] the Polish port Poł?ga (Palanga, Palonga) in Courland was to be abandoned. ^{[1] [2]} In the territory of the commonwealth, Swedish merchants were granted substantial tax exemption and the right to settle and trade. ^[1]

The treaty further divided the commonwealth's territories then under Russian occupation among the parties: The areas of Smolensk and Kiev were to be re-integrated into Poland?Lithuania, while Polish Livonia and Courland were to be ceded to Sweden upon their reconquest. ^[2]

For future candidates to the Polish throne, the treaty was made part of the pacta conventa , meaning it had to be supported for any candidacy to become valid. ^[1]

Aftermath [ edit ]

As intended, the treaty made an inner-Polish-Lithuanian reconciliation of the Warsaw and Sandomir confederations impossible. ^[1] In early 1706, Augustus the Strong approached Warsaw with a cavalry force and ordered Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg to move the army assembled in Saxony into Poland?Lithuania. ^[8] Schulenburg was intercepted and defeated by Carl Gustav Rehnskiold in the Battle of Fraustadt . ^{[6] [8]} The army assembled in Polotsk had been moved to Grodno (Hrodna, Gardinas, Garten), where it was tactically defeated and forced to withdraw eastwards. ^{[6] [8]} Charles XII then occupied Saxony, forcing Augustus to abandon both the Polish crown and his allies in the Treaty of Altranstadt (1706) . ^{[6] [8]}

Sources [ edit ]

References [ edit ]

Bibliography [ edit ]

• Anisimov, Evgeni? Viktorovich (1993). The reforms of Peter the Great. Progress through coercion in Russia . The New Russian history. M.E. Sharpe. ISBN   1-56324-047-5 .
• Bromley, J. S. (1970). Rise of Great Britain & Russia, 1688-1725 . The New Cambridge Modern History. Vol. 6. CUP Archive. ISBN   0-521-07524-6 .
• Frost, Robert I (2000). The Northern Wars. War, State and Society in Northeastern Europe 1558-1721 . Harlow: Longman. ISBN   978-0-582-06429-4 .

External links [ edit ]

• Scan of the treaty at IEG (Institut fur Europaische Geschichte) Mainz, 57 pages